Gameday

The Minnesota Timberwolves' chances to go on a stretch of games to get themselves back in the playoff picture is quickly running out with just 18 games to go this season. They may be getting a bit of relief as this season-long 7-game road trip will painstakingly come to an end tonight! The TWolves have gone 2-4, thus far.

Since Ricky Rubio went down with his torn ACL & LCL, the TWolves have lost 5 of 7, since that March 9th game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be going for an 11-consecutive victory over the Timberwolves in this one and are already 1-0 against them this season. The Thunder have faltered a bit as of late as they haven't won two-consecutive victories since March 5th-7th.

The TWolves' last win over the Thunder came January 7, 2009. The TWolves won that one 129-87! Over the last 11 meetings since then between these two teams, Kevin Durant has been key in OKC's victories by averaging 31.4ppg!

It's no secret, the Thunder have become one of the powerhouses in the NBA led by Durant, Westbrook & Harden. Oklahoma City are #1 in the Western Conference currently, with a 35-12 record. The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently #11 in the Western Conference, with a 23-25 record. The Thunder are 20-4 at home, while the TWolves are 11-13 on the road. Lastly, OKC is 6-4 in their last 10, while Minnesota is 4-6.

The Thunder's last game was a win over the Clippers on Wednesday, 114-91. Kevin Durant had 32pts, 9reb, 5ast; Westbrook added 19pts; Serge had 15pts & 8reb. The Thunder protected the paint and played very physical in the win. A big key was limiting Blake Griffin to just 7pts.

Injury Report

-Michael Beasley: Beasley says he won't play tonight because of his sprained big toe. Says he'll likely be out "a couple games" to recover.

-Nikola Pekovic: The TWolves will again be without Nikola who returned back to the Twin Cities before Wednesday's loss to the Spurs to get treatment on his sore ankles. It's no doubt, he'll be sorely missed...

-Daequan Cook: Cook sprained his right knee in the Thunder's win over the Clippers on Wednesday. No news on if he'll be able to play, likely a gametime decision.

"Pek is huge for us, he's the guy we can throw it into and know we can get easy buckets. He can keep the other team off the glass. It was tough for us," says Kevin Love following Wednesday's loss to the Spurs. With Pekovic out, it's likely the TWolves will go with a starting frontcourt of Kevin Love at center and rookie Derrick Williams at power forward. Why not Darko? Here's the story on that: Darko's Dedication & Motivation Non-Existent...As Per Usual.

Key Players

-Kevin Love: A staple of this list game in and game out. There's no question that any key to a TWolves victory starts & ends with Kevin Love. If Love has an off-night usually the entire team struggles. TWolves definitely need a big performance out of Love in this one!

-Derrick Williams: With Pekovic out and D-Will likely in the starting lineup, once again, Minnesota will need more from him than the got in Wed. loss to the Spurs. He played 37 min., had 9pts, 7reb & shot 4-for-12 from the field! Not going to cut it vs. Serge Ibaka & Kendrick Perkins!

-J.J. or Luke: It's almost been one or the other these past few games with our two point guards. Beyond the game when the both dished out 10 assists, it's been a bit of a 'flip-flop' for these guys. J.J.'s 18pts & 11ast vs. the Spurs was big, but Luke had 4pts, 1ast on 1-for-7 shooting that game. If they both have good games, great! If not, one needs to step up be the playmaker and get the team easy buckets.

-Kevin Durant: Having Kevin Durant on your team is like having an unfair advantage. I never want to play against my buddies when they pick OKC on NBA2K12, because I know he's just an unfair advantage. He's shooting & scorer ability is almost inconceivable. I'm more than worried for Wes Johnson, tonight!

-Russell Westbrook: Either Luke Ridnour or Martell Webster will have to defend Westbrook and that's no easy task. Tonight's matchups are definitely a red flag!

-James Harden: Their catalyst off the bench. Wouldn't you love to have a consistent scorer who can give you 15-20 points a game a night. Sure, we have Beas (not tonight), but he's not the consistent player Harden is.

-Serge Ibaka: I don't know how Perkins & Ibaka will match up, but whoever Serge has will likely have a number of their shots thrown back in their face.

Key Matchup(s)

Wesley Johnson vs. Kevin Durant: I've accepted that Wes won't blow up one game and score 20+ in a game this season, however, his defense is what keeps him in the starting lineup! I have no doubt Durant will score 25-30 tonight. I highly doubt Wes is going to be able to stop him or even slow him down! PLEASE WES! SURPRISE US! Time for some lockdown D!

Kevin Love vs. Perkins or Ibaka: I don't know how the Thunder's frontcourt will matchup with Minnesota's. I'm not even certain Minnesota will indeed start D-Will & Love. Adelman may throw Darko out there suddenly or even Miller (highly doubt on both). Let's say they do start Love at center, who will matchup with D-Will & Love, then? Both are players that can play inside & out. Perkins isn't a really mobile defender that normally won't stray too far from the paint, is he going to be able to close out on Love on the perimeter? I doubt Perkins will matchup with Williams, whose even quicker. This quicker frontcourt could be a big advantage or disadvantage for Minnesota. Real decisive answer, for ya, huh?

FINAL NOTES: Derek Fisher made his debut with the Thunder in their last game vs. the Clippers. That was after he was traded by the Lakers to the Rockets, agreed to a buyout and signed with OKC. He played 19 minutes, had 5pts, 1reb, 1ast, 1blk. Definitely brings championship pedigree to this young Thunder team.......AccuScore has OKC as the clear favorite: 90%-10%, OKC by 10.5, with an O/U: 0.0........Ricky underwent successful knee surgery on Wed. to repair his ACL, they also found damage to his LCL, which they also had to reconstruct, here's the full report: Rubio Undergoes Successful Surgery........

PROJECTED FINAL OUTCOME: Minnesota 92, Oklahoma City 105

TIPOFF: Tonight's game will tip from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City at 7pmCT.